In Sandy’s Wake, Some Saw Love Grow

For most who endured the floodwaters, wrecked homes and lengthy power outages six months ago, superstorm Sandy is remembered as a grim ordeal at best. But a few found unexpected closeness in the chaos of the storm.

Patricia Rogers, 23 years old, was facing the first real emergency situation since living on her own as the power went out in her two-bedroom apartment in Orange, N.J. The transit shutdown and gas shortages kept her apart from her parents in the Bronx and a sister on Long Island.

But her boyfriend, 20-year-old Ray Sykes, was by her side as Sandy made landfall on Oct. 29, and their relationship that hadn’t been all that serious over the months of summer seemed to change as a result of the unusual situation.

“Because of boredom,” Rogers said, “we talked more and probably got to know each other better in that week than we ever did.”

The couple stayed at her apartment for eight days, living without power or heat, playing cards and walking to buy groceries. Rogers said they talked earnestly by candlelight about topics not usualy broached early in a relationship. “It was really after Sandy where I was like, OK, yeah, he is my boyfriend, I am his girlfriend,” she said.

For Laura Tatham and her longtime boyfriend, Nick Fierro, the superstorm brought more severe hardships. They lived together in Jersey City’s Paulus Hook neighborhood that filled with water — first creeping into the backyard they had planted with tomatoes, then flowing into their apartment.

“It was an obscene amount of water and it all happened within 10 to 15 minutes,” Ms. Tatham recalled. “By the time I left, it was up to my belly button.”

Neighbors quickly came to their aid, allowing Tatham and Fierro to ride out the storm in their top-floor apartment. But the couple’s home was ruined in the light of morning, starting an ordeal that continues. Renters’ insurance hasn’t covered the cost of lost belongings, she said, and a small check and hotels stay provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency provided welcome relief but no lasting fix.

Help came from all quarters – “Everyone we know,” Tatham said — but the weeks of couch-surfing and scrapping by ultimately revealed her commitment to Fierro.

“That night cemented to me, we have a really strong relationship, and it doesn’t matter what happens from here on out,” she said. “We’re going to be fine.” The couple even commemorated their storm experience with matching tattoos, four feet up from the ground — the level of the water line. The tattoos read: “home.”

Sarah Riffat and Juanly Cabrera, residents of Astoria, Queens, saw Sandy wreck their wedding scheduled for the Friday following landfall when the waterfront venue they had reserved suffered flood damage.

Not wanting to inconvenience family members and friends, some of whom had traveled long distances to attend, the couple improvised. Riffat, 27, who is Pakistani by background, had planned a traditional pre-wedding celebration and mehndi ceremony at Haveli, an restaurant in Forest Hills. The wedding moved there as well, with a makeshift aisle and 100 friends and relatives in attendance.

Looking back six months later, Riffat believes the day was “perfect, given the circumstances.”

“We ended up doing this completely different thing and it was totally hectic, totally chaotic,” she said. Guests have told them it was among the best weddings they have attended.